Joe Zorzin wrote:
"LRLake" wrote in message
...

Any suggestions? Anyone using them regularly? Is GPS really as good as it
sounds or are there things you don't like about it?

Joe,

I sprang for a Garmin Legend last fall. I now consider it indespensible.

It

goes everywhere with me just like the compass and loggers tape.

I find that when used with the Maptech product I save a lot of time

locating

parcels in the boonies. No more hunting for 'K' tags or wondering where
section lines cross the road.

It really helps to buy Garmin's topo map set to download to the GPS. The

basic

information in the machine provides little or no help any distance from

major

roads (blank screen). You still need maptech though, for land net because

the

garmin map product has no section info. May not make any difference in

your

area because of the lack of a public land survey.

If you get one you'll be hooked and save time. You can transfer field

info to

the maps from the GPS with much greater accuracy than scetching. My

experience

has been that the unit is pretty damn accurate ... in the range of 1/2

chain if

used carefully. One very cool thing is, if you do good office setup, no

more

pacing and measuring distance. You just go to the point.

Don't pay for a compass. Your silva is probably better and easier to use.


The compass feature is the one I'm most concerned about. As you say, it may
not be all that usefull, especially for those of us who have used a hand
compass for a long time. My understanding from doing some reading is that
there are 2 type of GPS compass- the simpler type just simulated a compass
by the info it gets from the satellittes. The others are a genuine compass
which will work even if you can't get a satellitte signal. With the Garmin
76S Map unit, the unit must be held vertically to get a signal so that kind
of negates having a compass built in as to see the compass you want to hold
it horizontally. The Magellan Platinum's built in compass is "3 axis" so you
can hold it anyway whithout losing the signal. I'm tempted to spend extra to
get the compass since if I don't, I'll probably find out later that I wish I
had. My main interest in the GPS is to locate cruise plots. Locating them
with hand compass and pacing really sucks. Radio Shack has Magellan and they
have a 30 day no questions asked return policy. Best Buy carries Garmen but
I didn't think to ask about a return policy. I really don't mind spending a
lot for a very usefull tool. When I buy computers, I buy the top of the
line- it's worth it.


The magellan compass is functional but IS NOT the same as that ol' Silva
ranger. Depending on the settings, the heading might be the direction
you are walking, ie. the last several track points averaged. You can set
it to operate like a hand compass, but the shape and angle you hold it
at don't really lend themselves to the same uses.
After getting the magellan I've found that there are a few things the
76S probably does better - things like an altimeter that actually reads
altitude, rather than averaging it with what the database says ought to
be elevation. After you get used to the ins and outs of the different
datums, you might realize - you just want to know what's real...
Also, the Magellan base map software, Mapsend Topo, is pretty good. It's
still based on tiger files though, which often mislocate country roads
and rivers. Streets are OK though.